'Armed men kidnap' 3 Italians and a Togolese in Mali

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Armed men have kidnapped an Italian couple and their child as well as a Togolese national in southeastern Mali, a local official and a Malian security source told AFP Friday.

They said the abductions occurred late Thursday about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the border with Burkina Faso, part of a west African region hit by turmoil, kidnappings as well as conflict blamed on armed jihadists.

"Armed men in a vehicle kidnapped three Italians and a Togolese about 10 kilometres (six miles) from Koutiala," late Thursday, an official from the Koutiala region who asked not to be named said.

He said the victims were two Italian adults and their child as well as a Togolese, adding they were all Jehovah's Witnesses.